Doin' Damage: The public's view

Techno Destructo

Riding In Peace
What do you think is the single most damaging/counterproductive element in our sport in terms of how the general public view freeriding/downhill mountainbiking?

It could be a bad habit of riders. It could be something that we HAVE to do in our sport for it to be what it is. It could be *a person*!

We cop just as much flak from the public as we do admiration (when they're aware of our existence). What causes it :?:
 

Sandman1

Likes Bikes
I think that sometimes, it can be just the general look of riders. I'd imagine that it would be rather intimidating to the rest of society to have some guy/gal charging down the hill, all kitted up with sunnies, body armour, etc.
So yes, I just think that people are a bit scared.
(I think i've completely missed the point, but hey, as if I care :p)
 

Adi

It's my birthday!
People just thing thereyre/we're crazy bacause it is sooo dangerous, and beiseides, who would wanna dish out 7000 for a bike.... thats the gerenral public thing in my opinion.
 

Turley

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I reckon that it is the similarities between DH and moto's and everyone knows the damage that motos have done to soo many places.
 

Bonnet

Likes Dirt
well, most of my mates don't give a hoot about our sport...i tell 'em i did something really cool, then they just shrug it off as me being a crazy mofo. So to answer the question, i think its the image of us doing 'abnormal' things on bikes. The public cannot justify to themselves what we do as being fun, they only see it as 'stupid', 'dangerous', 'crazy' etc.
(i'm answering this from a trials- big drops- point of view) but it still applies to DH...not so much XC or 4X.
 

S.

ex offender
andrew said:
maybe when people race through busy urban areas...
Yeah, you really shouldn't have suggested that to a young, impressionable rider such as myself. Innocent people could have gotten hurt :lol:
 

Ty

Eats Squid
i've heard this comment

XC dude "but you guys must expect to be hurting your selves everytime you ride with all that padding and full face helmets"

DHer "i see your volvo has lots of air bags, expecting to crash today"
 

S.

ex offender
Ty` said:
i've heard this comment

XC dude "but you guys must expect to be hurting your selves everytime you ride with all that padding and full face helmets"

DHer "i see your volvo has lots of air bags, expecting to crash today"
:lol:
 

nodabs

Likes Bikes
i'm a trials rider so i spend a fair bit of time in the urban environment on a bike and most people are cool about what we do they stop and watch ask questions and whatnot others are nuts though they go out of there way to harrass you threatening to call the police asking for your name and address and such. i guess the difference is that when we session a spot we put our stuff down and stay within an area but DH and free you kinda scream through so you don't get a chance to interact, and people don't "get" it so they tend to have a negative view i think
 

Techno Destructo

Riding In Peace
Back to the Bender thing. Does anybody here feel that Bender is doing more damage to the sport than good, in terms of public opinion?
 

schmook

Likes Dirt
really badly typed ramble comign up

the extreme sports, pepsi guzzling wanker pigeonhole alienates a few people i reckon.
its good when mountain bikign is on the air, but i cringe when hear all that dumb jargon that spews out of that pepsimax's girls mouth and how she talks while pointing her chin at the camera. that look is all too britney for me and i know alot of girls who think when i say i liek mountain biking i mean i liek watching the blokes. ewww
but im talkign about us girls again here.
and i do have a pathological hatred of pepsimax chick.
no im not jealous of her! shes annoying.

in an attempt to entice a female friend into biek riding so ive got a riding buddy, i showed her an article abotu niki gudex and that didnt go down to well. we got into a debate about how the australian media projects an ideal of perfection for us woman to 'obide' by - read the latest cosmo or cleo if you dont understand what i mean -bilingual, have the latest fashions, wear gobs of make up, educated, good at sports, pretty, brazilian wax , earn a good wage, blah blah blah...my friend thought niki was a bit of a stereotype. but thats her opinion not mine.
i dont mind niki though. shes is a model but shes not plastic and shes only been riding for a few years, so she must have worked hard. you got to admire hard work. and its gives me some inspration for being a late starter. and i beleive shes trying in earnest to promote the sport.
id like it though if people liek tai lee muxlow and katrina miller got some publicity...is it the media outlets in this country or are these riders not persueing the attention?

bender, umm maybe im boring but bender doesnt really do it for me. i guess mountain biek vouyuers who might see bener on the tv (australian tv, as if!) would say he is a dickhead, and the people whothink he is a fearless warrior are those who probably think jackass is class movie. whatever floats your boat i guess, so if benders happy im happy for bender.

ive never been in trouble with anyone when im on my bike. i jumped the stairs at the front of alexander library in the middle of the day a couple of mondays back and a policeman smiled at me. i thought he was going to come over to me, fine me for havign no reflectors, bell, etc (i know someone who was fined $100 or so for that) and tell me to go away and stop annoyign the junkies, business people and tafe students. and i would have been pissed off if i got into trouble. pissed off with all the boring stogy people of the world.

some oldie told me my 'two wheeler' was 'cute' when i caught atrain instead of riding to my destination...

awwwww
 

schmook

Likes Dirt
forgot a point

when people harp on about the price of bikes. . . .

they are expensive, but if i smoked a pack of winnie blue a day by the end of the year i would have spent nearly $4000 bucks

you could have a really excellent bike for that amount of money.
 

Scott

bAdmin
Staff member
Re: really badly typed ramble comign up

schmook said:
....when i say i liek mountain biking i mean i liek watching the blokes. ewww
aww. are we really all that bad :)
 

Techno Destructo

Riding In Peace
Re: really badly typed ramble comign up

schmook said:
id like it though if people liek tai lee muxlow and katrina miller got some publicity...
Missy Giove was always my favorite female racer. There was a girl who could put most guys to shame!
 

Scott

bAdmin
Staff member
I think thats because she took on more of a male approach to things (if you know what I mean) *wink *wink
 
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